


Portions for Foxes

by Marks



Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-08-24
Updated: 2007-08-24
Packaged: 2018-03-04 05:18:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2953766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marks/pseuds/Marks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Observation differs from action.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Portions for Foxes

**Author's Note:**

> This started out with even more angst, if you can believe it.

Inui clicks the stopwatch and makes a note. "Good, Kaidoh. Point-oh-three seconds faster. Did you want to time me next?"

There is no answer. Inui looks up. Kaidoh stands above him, panting, his bandana stained dark with sweat, and Inui's heart begins erratically thumping like he was the one doing timed sprints. He has been having that reaction around Kaidoh with an alarming frequency, so often that he never thinks to take data on it. The results would embarrass him.

He is embarrassed right now, kneeling on the ground and staring up stupidly. Inui looks down.

Kaidoh kneels next to him. "Senpai."

Inui looks at Kaidoh and swallows. Their faces are close together, and Inui is well inside the boundaries of what he thinks of as Kaidoh's personal bubble. Inui has worked hard to shrink that bubble, touching Kaidoh while they train, taking liberties, whatever Kaidoh allows. But their faces have never been so close; Inui has never been able to count Kaidoh's eyelashes or see the individual hairs that make up the curl of his eyebrows. Inui's eyes flick down to Kaidoh's mouth and he is glad Kaidoh can't make out his eyes. Or maybe he can at this distance. The thumps inside Inui's chest become even more erratic. They're so loud inside Inui's own head that he thinks Kaidoh might hear, illogical as that is.

It scares Inui, more than he wants to admit. More than he _can_ admit. He hands Kaidoh the stopwatch. "Time me," he says.

Something -- annoyance, frustration? -- crosses Kaidoh's face, but he takes it and moves back. Inui stands up and walks a little ways away.

He is now outside Kaidoh's personal bubble. Inui gets into position.

*

Before he falls asleep, Inui replays the scene, rewinds his actions, and things go very differently. He wishes for answers that data can't provide.

*

Kaidoh is not rude to Inui at practice the following afternoon, though they exchange nothing but quick, polite greetings. By the time Inui heads to the courts, Kaidoh is already playing a doubles match with Momoshiro against Fuji and Kawamura. Ikeda asks him for a match and Inui accepts, but he is distracted by what is happening two courts over. For all the attention he pays Ikeda, he may as well be playing Kaidoh and Momoshiro. He ends the match early, not bothering to draw it out and make it a learning exercise as he normally would. He usually thinks of himself as a good senpai, a fair one, but that's not precisely true. Not for everyone.

Ikeda thanks him, but Inui is halfway to the doubles match.

Fuji and Kaidoh are talking, the match already won by Kawamura-Fuji, 6-3. The net separates them and as Fuji leans in Kaidoh doesn't bend away but his shoulder muscles visibly tighten. Inui remembers when Kaidoh was tense with everyone -- including him -- how he still is, though less and less often. Then the image of Kaidoh's face close to his slams into his brain, a forward running smash of memory. Fuji pulls a leaf off Kaidoh's jersey; Kaidoh thanks him. Inui wants to drag Kaidoh away, far away from Fuji, and apologize for his stupid behavior the day before. Then he might press Kaidoh back against the cold metal lockers and--

Inui shakes his head to clear it and leans against the fence. He pulls out his notebook and pen, just to give his hands something to do.

"Are you free after practice?" Fuji asks Kaidoh.

Kaidoh isn't. Inui flips to Kaidoh's schedule, the blocks for training, homework, family time. He looks up. Kaidoh's gaze flicks toward him -- just a second, but Inui sees.

"Yes, I'm free, Fuji-senpai."

Inui's hand falters at the lie. He drops his pen and only half-hears Fuji ask what Kaidoh thinks about the combination of chilies and hot chocolate and by the time he looks up again, Fuji is headed in Inui's direction.

"See you tomorrow, Inui," Fuji says and smiles. He waves as he heads toward the clubhouse. Kaidoh passes by next.

Inui catches his arm. "I'm sorry," he says. Kaidoh doesn't ask why.

"It's all right." Then Kaidoh shakes out of Inui's grip and walks away.

*

Inui does a lot to forget the conversation he overheard. He runs, he updates Tezuka's data, he does two-hundred crunches, he goes online to look up facts about wild rodents and their known predators for biology class even though he already knows several off the top of his head.

It doesn't work. Sometimes Inui wishes he had a switch on his body like the one on his computer so he could power down his brain.

*

Interactions between Fuji and Kaidoh increase twenty-two percent over the next week, and these are only the observable interactions. Fuji touches Kaidoh's wrist at practice, grabs Kaidoh's shoulder and Kaidoh doesn't shove him away. They speak to each other often. Inui wonders what they talk about, but he never seems to be close enough to hear.

The doubles combination Inui and Kaidoh have been trying to perfect isn't going well. Inui can see Kaidoh's errors, knows he would avoid some of his own if he just told Kaidoh where they were going wrong, but something stops him from saying anything. They play terribly and the Golden Pair wins in a rout. He wants to say something, _anything_ , but Fuji joins them on the court.

"Better luck next time?" Fuji says and smiles. Inui isn't sure which one of them he's addressing. Then, Fuji grabs Kaidoh's bandana off his head and walks away. Kaidoh hisses once and chases after him.

Inui watches them go, waits a beat, and follows. His heartbeat is pounding in his brain again, and it feels like there _is_ a switch inside him that turns off all thought, only that switch has faulty wiring that leads him into stupid situations. He catches up with them inside the school, where they're not supposed to be without a teacher present, turning down a hallway. Their footsteps stop, Inui's heart stops, and he has to creep slowly so his own footsteps don't echo in the abandoned school.

He shouldn't be doing this. Inui isn't _stupid_ , except when he is, but even telling himself how stupid this is doesn't make him turn around and go back to practice.

A dull thud sounds from Kaidoh and Fuji's direction, wet noises, the squeak of sneakers against linoleum.

There's another thud and Inui finally peers around a corner even though logic dictates no good can come of it.

Fuji's head is tilted back and his hands are wrapped around Kaidoh's biceps. Kaidoh's mouth is on Fuji's throat, his leg between Fuji's thighs. Neither notices him. Inui feels like he's swallowed dry ice, his insides burning cold, and leaves right away.

He can't blame Kaidoh. Fuji is Fuji. He's charismatic and charming, a natural at tennis, unnervingly handsome, at ease in personal situations. Girls like him. Teachers like him. _Everyone_ likes him. If given the choice between Fuji and Inui, Inui would choose Fuji, too.

He can't blame Fuji, either. That would make him a hypocrite.

*

The next morning, Inui sits on a bench in the locker room and compiles data. He doesn't speak, not even to return his teammates' greetings.

"What's wrong, Inui?" Oishi asks eventually. He pulls his jersey over his head.

Kikumaru loops an arm around Oishi's neck and leans in with all the familiarity of, well, Kikumaru. "Don't be silly, Oishi. Nothing ever bothers him. Inui is Inui!"

"That doesn't matter. Even if Inui wanted to throw himself off the roof of the school, Inui is still Inui," Fuji says. Then he smiles. Inui's stomach hurts, like he is getting too much acid in his diet, though he knows that's untrue. He looks down at Kaidoh's most recent training data, at an infinity symbol he's drawn at the top of the page, and snaps his notebook shut.

Kikumaru thoughtfully taps his bottom lip with his index and middle fingers. "I wonder if Tezuka ever wants to throw himself off the roof."

"Tezuka-buchou can fly!" Momoshiro exclaims.

Kikumaru laughs. "But not Inui." He motions with his hand, a heavy object dropping from a high place, an accompanying whistle. "Splat."

Inui gathers his things and leaves the clubhouse.

*

Inui follows Kaidoh and Fuji again that afternoon. He is not proud of that fact, but he calls Tezuka to tell him all about it. Inui talks about Fuji taking off his shoes in the fast-food restaurant to slide his toes against Kaidoh's calf, about Kaidoh drinking only bottled water while they were there. He talks about Fuji's new cactus, the pet store window with the four gamboling kittens, and the way Kaidoh put his palm against the glass, leaving his handprint. Inui tells Tezuka that he last personally observed Kaidoh's training regimen one-hundred and seventy hours ago when their faces were close together and neither of them was making out with Fuji.

Though he leaves out that last part.

"Inui."

"Yes, Tezuka?"

"Why are you telling me all of this?" Tezuka asks.

"I..." Inui falters. "I believe I needed someone to listen to me."

There is a long silence. "That is acceptable," Tezuka finally replies, like he's been weighing out all the options on a mental scale. Tezuka doesn't hang up until Inui's throat dries out from all the talking, and not before warning Inui that stalking leads to carelessness.

*

"Can I talk to you, Inui-senpai?"

Inui is so surprised to hear Kaidoh's voice that he tries spinning around when his shirt is still only half on and he ends up getting his head stuck in one of the arms. He untangles himself and pulls his head through the neck of his shirt. It is strange having Kaidoh's full attention on him after a week of Kaidoh avoiding him. Unfamiliar but not unwelcome.

"You always can talk to me, Kaidoh." His heart thumps and he admonishes himself for his shocking lack of self-control. "Did you need something?"

"No." Kaidoh wrinkles his forehead. "I wanted to know..."

"Yes?"

"Do you still want to help me with my tennis?" Kaidoh asks. "I mean, if you don't, it's okay, but--"

"Of course I do," Inui interrupts quickly. He sighs. "Watching your progress, it's excellent data. But you've been... preoccupied, lately. I didn't want to interfere."

Kaidoh looks down. His skin is red across his cheeks and nose, spread all the way to the tips of his ears. "Oh. You--"

"I--" Inui says at the same time. He laughs a little. "You go."

"You don't interfere," Kaidoh says. He picks at the hem of his shirt. There's a hanging thread that Kaidoh must not have spotted yet. Kaidoh's uniform is always impeccable, unless he is diving into the dirt during a particularly hard match. "So."

"So," Inui repeats, and this is part is familiar, this is _too_ familiar, like they're caught in a recurring dream Inui can't wake himself from, the one where he has to play tennis naked in front of Rikkai Dai. But Inui isn't asleep. He shakes his head. "Kaidoh, are you free tomorrow afternoon?"

"Yes."

"Would you like to train with me? I've missed the time we've spent together."

"Yes, senpai."

"Good," Inui says. He breathes out and his shoulders sag, and Kaidoh smiles at him, and Inui feels like his heart might implode.

*

Inui stands in his bathroom later that night, looking into the mirror.

"I like you," Inui tells his reflection. He frowns.

"I like you," Inui says again. He takes off his glasses and lays them next to the sink. "I like you," he repeats. Inui has found that if he says things enough times, they sometimes become easier to say. Mental rehearsing.

"Kaidoh. I like you."

It doesn't get any easier. He says it again.

*

"Inui," Fuji says as Inui puts his things back into his locker. Inui nods at him. "Have fun with Kaidoh today."

"It's just training," Inui replies quickly, possibly too quickly, because Inui hopes it's not just that. But what do you say to the person who's dating the person you like?

Fuji smiles. "You don't have to cover. That's over now, the two of us." Inui pictures Fuji breaking Kaidoh's heart and walking off into the sunset with a flock of beautiful people. His heart speeds up and his vision goes red and flashy at the idea of Kaidoh with a broken heart. "He dumped me," Fuji adds.

Inui blinks.

"Not like I didn't know it was going to happen eventually! It was obvious. But it was fun while it lasted." He pats Inui on the shoulder. "Kaidoh said to tell you he'd be waiting at the front gates."

Inui nods wordlessly and grabs his bag. Then he runs. He is out of breath when he reaches the gates, even though the distance is negligible, but his body doesn't seem to realize what his brain knows to be true.

Kaidoh is there, waiting, sitting with his back against the wall that surrounds the school. He has his tennis racquet in his hand and rolls his eyes when Inui smiles at him.

Kaidoh shakes the racquet. "Do you want to play with me?"

"No," Inui says, "I don't."

He offers Kaidoh a hand up. Kaidoh takes it.


End file.
